Justice's Wrath
by Jesterea
Summary: Justice isn't a placid immobile thing that is simply content to stand and watch. Justice is the flaming sword that bars the gates of Paradise from that of the damned. As the team continues their adventures, Justice shall be wrought.
1. Jack

**Chapter 1 – Jack**

I tried to maintain balance as the semi-truck just underneath me struck an errant bump in the road and caused both me and my caped comrade to fall back a step. He caught me by the shoulder with a gloved hand just as he steadied himself, then we both took a moment thank the old fickle bitch that goes by the name of Luck. My father used to insist that Luck was in fact a man who enjoyed bending him over the counter and inspiring scenes from _The Shawshank Redemption_.

Another bump actually succeeded in sending me off my feet and onto my ass, and once again, the Boy Wonder was quick to the rescue before I became another unfortunate, albeit strange, young male statistic listed in automobile incident reports.

The mechanical beast below rumbled alongside the cliff-face as it flirted with the side-awning of the highway. From the roof of the vehicle I could make out a dimly lit suspension bridge across the fog-covered ocean to our right. I had seen it a few times in the daylight, and it was impressive despite its age. Impressive didn't mean pretty though, and the old rotting hunk of concrete was about as ugly as they came—the rusting spider web of cables on either side of it didn't help much. It was a bit of a conflicted building.

"Hey!" Robin shouted through the air passing around us, "Please tell me you're not freezing up on me, right?"

"Oh no," I responded, falling to one knee to gain a much needed sense of balance. "If you were hoping to see me freak, you already missed it. I'm sure there's still a brown stain on my boxers if you need a good visual on how-"

"That's alright," he interjected immediately before I could elaborate.

And I persisted. "Now I'm just leaking a steady stream of the stuff Bear Grylls likes to drink when his ratings tank."

"What?" I couldn't quite hear the word, but the raised brow of his eye-mask helped me make it out. Despite helping to mask one's identity, domino masks did shit for your poker-face.

"Forget it."

He nodded and pulled out a small, disk-like device from one of the infinite pouches spanning the length of his utility belt. The convex side of the object faced upward as it suddenly suctioned to the top of the semi, and I got a little nervous when I saw it had what looked like one half of a climber's carabineer sticking out from it. I chose to look away. As the semi-trailer edged around a sharp turn, I glanced upward and received a dull, colorless vision of New England's night sky. Robin's compulsiveness about his work was about as neurotic as a squirrel's instinct to gather nuts in the fall, so it was best just to leave him to it.

"Alright, the line's secure," he said, tugging at the chord. I did a double take.

"Where the hell did all that come from?" The caped teen was wearing a full harness over the waist of his black and red costume with a black line running through a metal ring on the front of it; the other end was tied around the object he had secured to the roof less than fifteen seconds ago in a knot no amount of cub scouts would ever help me solve.

He looked puzzled at the nature of the question and then gave an implicating look downward at his belt.

"Horse shit!" I accused.

Robin shrugged. "Are you ready?" he asked, a bit of anxiety in his voice—of which I'm pretty sure I was the cause. His nerves didn't have shit on the trauma mine were experiencing.

"You see, I've got this thing about dying that-"

_**BUMP!**_

I was hugging the roof of the trailer at this point. "Can't you just blow a hole through the roof?"

He once again looked at his belt.

"Just give me something!"

He shrugged. "Nightwing was pretty clear on the "silent" bit of silent extraction, so I'd rather not risk it."

"You went to private school, huh?"

"I…"

I didn't let him finish as I looked toward our forward direction and saw the city skyline coming into view from about ten miles out. The lights were just beginning to break through the thick layer of fog currently shrouding our evening ride. I nodded to Robin and grabbed a section of rope just in front of him. To his credit, there was no hesitation as he took one hop backward and disappeared over the rear-side of the cargo trailer. I heard a hollow clank as he impacted the back door and cautiously edged my way to the side, my hands white-knuckled on the rope, and peered down to see the teen dangling above a belt of asphalt. I remember my old man having a nifty tool kind of like it; the thing could wear a foot long rod of steel down in just a few minutes. Needless to say, I had never been to keen about seeing the effects of that on skin and bones.

My fears were quickly alleviated though as he moved with surprising grace. The Boy Wonder slid smoothly down the rope, coming to a standing stop atop the rear bumper. He bent down, one hand always on the rope, and worked the latch to the door with the other. He nimbly bounced his way left as the right door flew wide. I didn't wait to see him glide in Tarzan-style, but chose to speedily follow in behind instead.

Why didn't I get a harness?

Though managed with far less acrobatics, I was able to let my body slide far enough down so Robin could lead me inward with his end of the line. When I could no longer feel the sting of passing wind, I let my body drop onto the wooden interior of the cargo bed and breathed a deep, grateful sigh of relief. "My insurance company would flip their shit if they ever found out about this." I stretched my cramped limbs and rose to my feet as Robin undid his harness and moved quickly to the back of the trailer, then reached out and pulled the door back inward.

Dark enveloped the rocking confines of the "space" we now shared as the door slammed shut with a clank and I suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. I gingerly snapped my fingers and a small flame of red light flickered to life in my palm.

What was pitch-black a few seconds ago was now clear as day, though with a few stipulations. You know how each of the rooms in Poe's _The Masque of Red Death _ had a creepy color-of-the-rainbow filter in it? Well shit, it was kind of like that, but…well actually, just imagine a red lens when you think of this scene.

A hint of what smelled like rotten eggs filtered into my nostrils and I sneezed.

"Bless you," Robin said, more than likely due to reflexive manners.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Oh, you're a priest now?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the Boy Wonder ignored this quip and began to take in the general contents of what we were after.

Crates rested heavy in various spots around the small enclosure. Our mission only called for the extraction of one of the crates. Robin stood by the one closest to us and brushed a hand over the shipping label on top, removing a thin layer of dust from its surface. The white paper stuck to it held no indicator of the manufacture, but instead had a line of random digits that likely served as the serial number.

"You're sure this is what we're after?" I asked. Another bump jostled the cargo around us.

"No company name, no dates, and no indicator of what's inside," he said, bending at the knee and loosing a birdarang from his belt, "Looks suspicious enough to me. Here, give me a hand." The teen hero shoved the point of his makeshift tool into the small aperture between the box and its lid and pried it loose. Keeping mine red flame lit, I nudged the top of it off with the heel of my boot.

The lid clacked to the ground, and the two of us looked down to see a large, metallic piece of machinery resting inside. It was an experimental new military grade robot that was just one in a series of the models designed by a well-funded research firm to cut down on the human cost of war.

Ha! Like they'd actually give me information like that. I didn't have a clue what these things were or what they were for, but it seemed just generic enough to serve as a passable explanation. "I'll take eighties sci-fi films for two-hundred, Alex. This looks like it's it Robin. You want to call in the-"

Just then, another bump rocked the trailer. Immediately following, a small electronic buzzing filled the air, and Robin and I looked down. The single ocular camera resting at the center of the robot's head flickered to life and I took a step back. "Oh shit."

Robin frantically began to scan over the large machine's equipment, looking for some sort of off switch. "It's nothing to worry about, I just need to shut it down, and we'll-"

"_**Automated defenses activated! Please identify yourself or suffer immediate consequences!"**_

The robot began to rise from the container and suddenly appeared massive in the confined space we occupied. The crate splintered as the automaton shifted and formed up right in front of us. The panels of the case fell apart and exposed the wide-wheeled tripod that the torso was mounted on. One of its arms formed an honest to god Gatling gun while the other remained in the shape of three angry, pinched metal claws. On its shoulder rested medium barreled cylindrical device, presumably another weapon, and it was slowly swiveling from right to left or from Robin to me.

We all took a moment.

"So-"

As the truck hit another bump, Robin grabbed me by the shoulder and yanked me downward as machine-gun fire roared overhead. My light was snuffed out in the commotion, and darkness, interrupted by a series of muzzle flashes, provided us with temporary cover. Bullets ripped through the back door of the trailer, and the two of us remained pinned flat against the floor doing all we could to avoid ending up like a pair of targets on a firing range.

There was a momentary pause in the gunfire, and Robin immediately seized upon the opportunity; he pulled me up and threw me to the other side of the enclosure as the robot readjusted its aim.

Robin fanned out a trio of razor sharp discs and flung them in the direction of our attacker. Each one merely clanked off the metal surface of its body and became imbedded into either another crate or the wall of the truck's container. Faint blue sparks sizzled across the surface of the projectiles.

"Jack, can you make an opening for us? This thing's not your average build-a-henchman."

"_**Exterminate! Exterminate!"**_

I couldn't see Robin, but was able to hear him as he flipped nimbly out the way of another volley of bullets.

Red light formed at the palms of my hands and I flung both appendages upward. The temperature skyrocketed as the two bolts of fire I had just slung burned a perfectly round escape route into the top of the container. I motioned for Robin to hurry as I knelt down with my hands clasped together and signaled for him to go.

Machinegun fire trailed him as he made for a dead sprint in my direction, and the second I launched him upward, I hit the ground and started rolling as more gun fire ripped a line of holes into the bed of the trailer. Coming up from the roll into a kneeling position, I aimed an outstretched palm at the robot and unleashed another blast of hot, scarlet fire.

The resulting explosion temporarily forced the 18-wheeler onto eleven wheels, and every single crate slid over to one side causing the vehicle to lean further. Frantically, I searched for the opening I had previously made and dove for it. A gloved hand wrapped around my wrist and slung me outward just as the truck crashed onto one side.

The Boy wonder continued to live up to his name. Somehow, in the midst of the chaos, he had managed to get a hand around the rope we had originally used to swing into the trailer, and was now serving as my lifeline as the massive rig went grinding across the asphalt toward the metal awning of the highway…the one meant to keep cars from careening off into the ocean. Well fuck.

Dangling on the roof of the trailer (or was it the side now?) I briefly debated letting go of Robin's hand as we neared the edge, but another force of impact smacked me from my thoughts. Two people stood at the base of the trailer grunting in unison as they struggled to slow the hulking truck's momentum. Superboy let out a growl of frustration as he and Wondergirl were forced into the metal railing. The barrier bent and broke, giving way as the cab of the truck started to fall over the edge.

"Hang on!" Robin dropped me to the ground and swung down from the rope shortly after as we looked on to see the Superboy dig his boots into the dirt and continue to be shoved down the ridge regardless. "Wondergirl, get the drivers!"

My mouth felt dry as I knelt on the ground trying to reorient myself to the situation. Wondergirl broke off into an aerial sprint to the front of the semi. In a feat of casual strength, she ripped the door from its hinges and reached in to pull two men free of the vehicle.

"Damn it," Robin said. I don't think I had ever heard him swear before. "We needed those things in perfect condition. Dick's going to kill me." Bringing a gloved wrist to his mouth, the teen spoke into it, "Superboy, go head and let it go, there's no point in-"

A red beam of light exploded forth from the sinking truck and vaporized an enormous chunk in the side of the trailer. The robot from before wheeled out of the opening and landed on the ground just past the busted awning; its torso swiveled around and it appeared to gaze down at its previous container with…contempt? Well that's just weird. Another stream of violent red light flashed from the weapon mounted on its shoulder and burned through the entire length of the truck. Explosions consumed the vehicle and propelled the remains, along with Superboy, into the churning waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

"Wondergirl!" Robin shouted. Not a second after she had deposited the drivers, the heroine about-faced in mid-air and shot downward like a bullet into the waves in full pursuit of her fallen teammate.

The machine turned to face Robin and me, its red eye centering on the two of us.

A familiar heat formed in both of my hands despite the apprehension I was currently facing. I typically resort to jokes when I'm nervous, but we were far past that. Next to me, Robin extended the length of his metal Bo staff and struck a stance that he'd entered into a thousand times before. Looking at his face, I could see that he was younger than me, but it didn't resonate. Despite his youth, he was still an old pro at this vigilante thing compared to me.

"Jack," he started, a touch of nervousness in his voice, "We need this thing mostly intact. You hear me?"

"_**Exterminate! Exterminate!"**_

"Yeah," I responded. "I don't think it returns the sentiment though." _What is this thing? A dalek?_

A car passed on the highway. It was probably on its way to the city, which was just down the road from our little standoff.

"Now!"

We both darted in opposite directions as the automaton simultaneously unleashed hell in the form of a red laser from a shoulder rigged weapon and bullets from an arm mounted Gatling gun.

Robin nimbly flipped over the incendiary beam of light as it melted through a black stretch of road just near us. He landed and didn't break step as he turned to look in my direction. I turned to meet his eyes as bullets struck the ground just behind me while I ran. With a grunt of frustration, I side-arm hurled another ball of red flames straight at the ground just next to the machine, and the bullets temporarily stopped as a plume of dust and smoke flared up around it.

Robin pole-vaulted into the air, front-flipped at the height of his jump, and came rocketing downward, leading with his metal bludgeon. The point of the weapon stuck into the shoulder of the robot as Robin planted his feet on its torso and gave a short laugh of triumph. The staff sparked blue as arcs of electricity danced across its surface and quickly transferred onto the erratic machine. It seemed to convulse for only a few short seconds before the glowing sphere of its eye dimmed.

"Threat neutralized," Robin managed through staggered breaths.

I fell onto my ass and wiped my brow just in time to look up and see Wondergirl float up over the side of the ridge with a somewhat ragged looking Superboy in tote. "Howdy," I said, waving two fingers in a mock salute. Wondergirl simpered and Superboy just scowled.

-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-

"So…a bump turned the robot's automated defenses on?"

"Let's be honest, the roads need to be redone in this town. I mean, we must pay a fortune in property tax for this place, the least the city could do is fill in all the shitty potholes around here."

Nightwing's eye mask narrowed and he turned his gaze to Robin. "And you're willing to back him up on this?"

"It was weird, but that's pretty much what happened. Jack did well."

I glanced over at Robin and rubbed a hand across the back of my neck. It was always a bit awkward being the new guy, but people like Robin and the others were making the transition far easier than I would have thought it could be. I wanted to thank him, but Nightwing didn't allow me the chance. He probably had a thousand other people thanking him all the time as it was. Much like Nightwing, Robin was every inch the leader his predecessor was, and even a newcomer like me could see that.

"Jack, could you give Robin and me a minute?" our leader asked.

I was already walking out and waved a hand in affirmation. "Sure," I yawned, "I'mma go get some rest. I'll see you for morning drills."

The door to the main room of the cave swished shut behind me as I navigated the long corridors of Mt. Justice. I passed Superboy in one hallway and grinned at him. He acknowledged me with another scowl. His hair was damp and a towel was slung over his shoulders. The tattered remains of his black "S" shirt hung loosely from one hand.

I had had yet to really have a conversation with the guy, but if the scowls were any indicator, I don't think he really liked me. Then again, it's hard to say whether he liked anyone.

-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-

My room served as kind of a loft for the rest of the facility. Ms. Martian had told me upon first showing me the space that it had served as Red Tornado's quarters when he still lived here. It was relatively isolated compared to everyone else, but I preferred it that way. Don't get me wrong, I'm probably not going to get any awards for being the most bashful person on the team, but it just felt right. That and I've got sort of a fear of being underground, so the other spot wouldn't have worked out so well.

The only furniture in the room was a dresser, a twin bed, and a small bedside table with a lamp on top of it. To one side of the bed was a viewing port that overlooked the ocean.

I sat down on the bed and pulled my boots off, before falling back into the mattress. My jacket pocket vibrated and I answered my phone.

"Hey." A smile crept onto my lips. "Nah, things are going pretty good, I'm really enjoying it." My eyes followed the whirling blades of the ceiling fan and tried to keep pace with them. "Yeah, I appreciate all of it. I…you really came through for me, and I'm not sure I can ever really pay you back for that." I raised my hand upward and scrunched my nose as a rank smell filtered into the room. A small fireball formed in the palm of my hand and bathed the dark expanse of my room in dull red light. "Yeah, well, goodnight Z. I talk to you some time soon." The light went out.


	2. Getting to Know Eachother

**Chapter 2 – Getting to Know Eachother**

I don't know what it is about new places, but it always takes a while to feel comfortable in them.

I woke up thinking I was somewhere else and then I looked out the window and remembered. I was still in the confines of a relatively large coastal cliff face overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It just so happened to also serve as the logistical base for a team of superheroes. Go figure. I sighed and stretched. I probably hadn't been out for more than an hour or two judging by how dark it still was. Oh well, sleep is for pussies.

I grabbed my jacket off the floor and retrieved my cigarettes from one of its pockets. Casually, I slipped one from the pack and placed it at the corner of my mouth. I turned around and eased the window upward, making a small opening for me to crawl through and wiggled my way outside. My bare feet touched cold rock and I stood. It was a damn impressive sight.

I grew up on the Gulf Coast, so as a point of habit, I like to compare everything negatively to what I'm used to. The Gulf was made of smooth, white sands and easy, warm waters, and this little stretch of coast had none of that. It was grand where the beaches I knew were humble and to any artist looking for inspiration it would have been an easy choice. There hadn't been mist from raucous waves slamming against craggy rocks back home, and there hadn't been the sight of a glowing suspension bridge in the distance that linked either side of the small bay. You hardly ever saw the stars anymore, but then, that was everywhere—everywhere except here.

I sat down just outside the window of my room and leaned back against the rocks. I listened as waves brushed granite far beneath me, and I watched as individual stars twinkled in distant nebulae I would never see or visit.

The end of my cigarette burned red and I inhaled.

"Those things stink."

I nearly bolted off the edge in surprise, but somehow I had managed to grab hold of the window pane's edge and hold tight. I clutched at my heart with my other hand and took a second to collect myself. A feminine voice giggled in an amused fashion, and I glared upwards in its direction.

Wondergirl sat on a ridge about ten feet above my window with her legs crossed. I was somewhat shocked to see her in a tee-shirt and pajama bottoms considering how accustomed I had become to seeing members of the team in uniform, but I guess she lived here much as I did. With everyone coming and going, sometimes it was hard to keep track of who was a permanent resident.

"Oh, and they can kill you too." She met my glare with a chipper smile.

"I'm planning on suing a tobacco company as soon as the lung cancer sets in, so don't try to stop me from getting to my pay day." I'm kind of a smartass. "Besides, you don't see me taking shots at you for your bondage fetish."

"Huh?" she asked, suddenly incredulous.

"The rope and bracelets," I said, "Though you're a little less forward about it than your big sister, you're a ball gag and safety word from finding your own niche in the porn industry."

"We're not sisters," she corrected.

"Well there goes my-" _…hard on. _The look she was giving me quickly dissuaded the continuation of that sentence. While I'm never one to worry about the social consequences of my actions, I like to consider the immediate risk to my health before I do something. She can fly and has super strength. I have neither of those things and am sitting precariously over what was at least an a hundred foot drop. So I shut up and exhaled a puff of smoke.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I looked up to see her staring up at the sky. "Couldn't sleep?" I asked.

"No," she said. An errant finger found its way to her hair and she started twirling it. "I've been tense ever since that mission got away from us. I just," she huffed, "It's just so frustrating when things don't go how you want them to, and I know I'm not directly responsible, but I feel like I could have somehow made things go smoother than they did."

I sighed. She was one of those girls who would always say sorry even when it isn't her fault. "Yeah, I get how you feel, but you were at the debriefing. The whole thing was a mess, but it came together alright."

"I know. I guess I'm just a bit neurotic when it comes to these things."

"Always looking to make a good impression?" I asked.

She shrugged and looked away. Apparently that wasn't a question she was willing to answer. "So, why are you up then?" she asked me.

I breathed out another puff of smoke. "A new bed and a restless head," I answered simply. Ugh…that rhymed. "It's nothing bad, I just need a minute and I'll probably try to get some more rest. 'Sides, these rocks are doing a number on my ass."

She giggled again. "I'm trying to figure your humor out and I'm pretty much failing at it."

"Oh?" Mock curiosity hung stalely on my words. "I just love a good character critique, do go on. Maybe after, we'll see how yours compares to Ms. Lograne."

"Who?"

"My first grade teacher," I said. I twirled the smoldering cigarette between the fingers of my right hand.

"Well sir." As she spoke, she slowly descended down from her perch above me until she stood in open air at eye level with me. I turned my head away from her. "I'd say your jokes contain the finesse of a standup comedian on open mic night, yet the crudeness of a ten year old."

"Ah, you're tasteless. Give me a little credit! What do ten year olds know about bondage?"

_**Yank!**_

I was suddenly floating upside down above open air. I gulped. "Now Wondergirl," I started.

"You know, you can call me Cassie."

"Cassandra," I said, and almost immediately regretted it. The grip she had on my calf loosened and I slipped down until her hand clenched again around my ankle.

"I said Cassie!" she fumed.

"That's fair, you did," I said panicked, talking around my cigarette. "So Cassie…"

"Jack."

"What's it going to take for you to put me down, in a gentle fashion, on that ridge I was just sitting on?"

"That's awfully specific."

"I'm a hundred feet in the air. I'm just making sure I'm completely understood when I say 'Put me down!' so work with me."

"I don't know," she said playfully. "Do you have any cash on you? I haven't had enough to go out in a while."

"What is this, a shake down?" I simpered. "No, I don't have any cash!"

Her grip wavered.

"We can talk!"

She raised a single, blonde eyebrow. "But we were already talking."

"I'll be…" I struggled for the right word, "nicer?"

"Hmm." With one hand in a death grip around my leg and the other resting on her chin, she considered my offer. "Okay!" And we sailed upwards.

I silently prayed that she wasn't as clumsy as high school stereotypes would leave me to believe, and watched as the brown granite of Mount Justice zoomed by. She dropped me in an undignified heap on the uppermost point of the geological structure and floated down into a sitting position next to me. As I managed to seat myself upright, my eyes widened. "That's a hell of a view…" My voice trailed off.

"Mmm…" She murmured in agreement. "It's a bit cliché, but it's a nice place to come and think."

"I guess it helps when you're one of the only people that can reach it."

"Actually, most of the others could probably make it up here pretty easy," she said in a-matter-of-fact tone.

Of course they can. "My pride doesn't appreciate the potshots."

"It'll live."

I flicked the butt of my cigarette into the air and watched as a brief, red flame consumed it. The ashes fell softly to the ground.

"So what did you want to talk about?" she asked, sounding way too enthused for this hour of night.

"I don't know," I said, shrugging, "I guess we don't really know each other that well."

"Ohh! I know!" she chirped, "Do you know how to play truth or dare? That's always an awesome way of getting to know someone."

I frowned. "Cassie, we're not children. We don't need the assistance of some juvenile game to help us associate with one another. Being both teammates and peers, communication shouldn't be a problem for us." I put on my best straight face.

"Okay then," she said, "Go head."

Silence hovered between us.

"Truth," I said, irritably.

"Is Jack your real name?" she asked.

"Nope," I answered in a rather smug tone.

"Oh! Really? Then what is it?"

"Hey, that's not how the game works. It's my turn." I grinned malevolently. "Go head, pick your poison." Pick dare. Pick dare. Pick dare.

"Truth," she said.

"Wow, that's some real herculean bravery you got going there," I said, sarcasm heavy in my tone.

"Just ask your question, smartass."

"Have you ever used that golden lariat of yours for something other than crime fighting?" I asked.

A blush fell over her face, and I could see her teeth grit behind tight lips. "Y-yes," she managed. "What's it to you?"

I laughed. "Hahaha! It was just a guess, but, oh god, seriously?" I covered my mouth as snickering overtook my actions. "What could you have possibly used it for? Did you rope cattle or something when you were a kid?"

"N-no," she stammered. "I, uhm, I don't have to tell you! It's your turn."

I managed to regain control, but not before releasing a few more chuckles. "Alright, alright, I'll go with truth again."

"That's some real herculean bravery you got going there," she said dryly.

I said nothing.

"Hmm." She sat there for a long while, chin in her palm, just pondering. I took the moment to lay back and cross my arms behind my head, using them for a makeshift pillow. The sky was became clearer the closer to morning it got, and judging by the canvas of stars above me, it was getting pretty damn late…or early rather.

"Come on Cassie, I'm falling asleep here," I said only half-joking.

"So why did you end up joining, Jack?"

It was an interesting question for truth and dare, but she's not the first person to have asked, several others already had. So I told her what I had told them. "That's an easy one. I joined so I'd have the opportunity to help people."

"Really?" she asked, sounding skeptical.

I glanced at her. "Why else would I join? I mean, that's pretty much the modus-operandi of a superhero, isn't it?"

"Well yeah, but you've just always seemed so…" She stopped. "I'm sorry; it's not my place to question your reasons. I know you're here to help people, I'm just wondering if you have another reason." The blonde girl stood up from her sitting position and walked to the edge of the mountain. "Like, I became a superhero to help people, but I also joined the team to forge my own way."

That made me think. "It's hard to make a name for yourself when you've got the most powerful woman on earth casting a shadow over you," I said.

"Something like that, but I guess it's also a little more," she said, "I know that should be the reason, but it's not really all that different from why a lot of kids move out. I just want a bit of freedom and independence, and I couldn't get that living with my mom, so I came here. I mean I still have people looking after and out for me, but unlike parents, they just let me be if there's no real reason to bother me."

"I can certainly understand that. Don't you go to school around here now?"

"Yeah, but I can't say I've had much time to focus on classes lately."

"Go figure."

We shared a smile. Cassandra was probably the one person on the team I could have hoped to forge some sort of connection with. From what I gathered, I wasn't much newer than she was, so I'm glad it kind or worked out how it did.

"It's your turn again, Cassie."

"Oh, uhm, dare."

_Sucker._ "Take off your shirt."

"You think you would have learned after I dangled your perverted ass off a cliff," She growled.

"I'm curious!" I exclaimed. "Besides, you're not going to go back on a dare, are you?"

She huffed and turned her back to me. She lifted up her tee shirt and slid up over her arms.

Silence.

"Well?" she half-yelled.

"You're…"

"Spit it out!"

"…not wearing a bra…"

She immediately pulled her shirt back down and turned around to face me; her face was red from what I gathered was a mix of embarrassment and rage. Before I could even react, she had once again seized me by the leg and dragged me over the edge.

I dangled helplessly.

"Pick dare!" she raged.

"But-"

"Pick dare or, I swear to the gods, you will go splat all over those sharp rocks down there."

"Look, maybe we should just start over. I'm Jack, pleased to-"

"Don't screw with me, pal!"

"No seriously, we can talk about this Cassie, just set me down-" And that's right about the point she dropped me. I rag dolled through the air, tumbling end over end with no real means of controlling my descent or fall. I was all but helpless as the churning waters of the bay rushed up to meet me.

"DARE! I PICK DARE!" The plunge to my death was summarily halted when Cassie plucked from mid-fall by the scruff of my shirt. "Bipolar, angry, sociopath…" I grumbled.

"Don't even start with me she threatened."

"Just give me the damn challenge." So she did. Leaning down, the blonde girl whispered into my ear and I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach.

"It would have been more humane just to let me fall," I said, turning green at the very notion of what she was suggesting.

Cassie set me down on two feet on the ridge just outside my window. "Oh don't be a wuss. Besides, you're the one who started this game in the first place. I never said you had to go along with it."

"The whole "under pain of death" thing if I didn't pick what you wanted was pretty coercive."

"Get going Jack," she huffed.

"Fine, fine, keep your pajamas; the last thing we need is those coming off as well. Lord only knows what you're wearing under there."

She growled and took a swipe at my head. I deftly rolled underneath the blow and slid beneath the window and into my room.

-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-

I tiptoed across the empty corridor and winced at every slight sound my bare feet made as they brushed against the surface of the tile flooring. Crouching, I pressed up against the wall beside me and followed it in the general direction of my heading. I had initially thought this "mission" Cassie had sent me on as akin to that of the ones often given to Japanese fighter pilots during World War II. Under further scrutiny, I had since decided that that was a stupid opinion which offended the memories of all the brave, yet misguided, young souls who died in that perilous time. When they had slammed the body of their aircrafts headlong into the hulls of American ships, they had set out to accomplish something. What I was doing had no greater purpose and was tantamount to suicide.

I felt around with an outstretched hand until my fingers brushed against the metallic edge of a doorframe. Nimbly, I quickly stepped to the other side of it and found the control panel. I was surprised to find that the small number pad seemed to be unencrypted, and crossed my fingers as I pressed down on the "open" button at the bottom of the panel. The door _swished_ open and I entered.

Much like my room, it was a simple one; there wasn't a whole lot of furniture and the only source of light came from a single window to one side of the room, and the only sound was that of a very faint breathing emitting from the room's only occupant.

Swallowing, I wiped a sheen of sweat from my brow and soldiered on.

I don't have the grace and proclivity to stealth that the flock of bats on our team does, but I don't consider myself half-bad at it either. The last couple of training exercises had really helped me to work on some of the fundamentals skills required by work of a covert nature. I took a moment to focus and let my breathing fall in tune with that of sleeping individual just across from me.

Taking light steps, I swiftly crossed the, what might as well have been fifty miles, expanse between the dresser and me. I wanted to sigh with relief, but I held the impulse and settled myself by leaning heavily against the dresser. My heart was going faster than BeastBoy did after downing one of those disgusting energy drinks he likes.

I opened the top drawer and smiled. I might actually be able to pull this off. Resting at the bottom of the drawer were what appeared to be a few dozen black tee shirts, all of them emblazoned with an all too familiar red s-shield. It took every ounce of my self-control not to simply seize one of the garments and dart out of the room, and to my credit, I managed not to. In hindsight, that might have been the better plan to be honest.

I gently lifted one of the shirts from the drawer and closed it. All was good in the world.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" asked an extremely irate, furious male voice from behind me.

Oh shit…

-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-

Cassie Sandsmark sat cross-legged on the same perch that she and Jack had both occupied only a few a moments ago. She hummed quietly to herself between taking occasional glances at the clock on her phone and smirking.

Faintly, the metal hiss of a door could be heard opening far down below. The girl inched closer to the edge to get a better look, and her face lit up with what one might call malicious delight when she saw the source.

A black and blue blur went streaking across the sky like a throw javelin and came back down to earth with a hard, wet splash…after having bounced twice already.

"_STAY THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM, YOU F'ING WEIRDO!"_

The door hissed closed, and the thrown figure began to thrash frantically in the water. "_CASSIE_!"

She started to giggle.

"_CASSIE, I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING! DO YOU KNOW HOW COLD THIS WATER IS?"_

Giggling turned to laughter.

"_FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CASSIE, GET ME OUT OF HERE!"_

Still laughing, Cassandra floated down to the ocean's surface to save the flailing figure.


End file.
